Cable communications systems typically transmit program streams to subscribers on-demand. For example, a user may choose to view a video program, which is stored in a headend server, on demand by selecting from a list of available stored programs. A set-top device receives the select commands from the user and sends a signal via the distribution network requesting the program from the headend server. Subsequently, the selected video program along with the application file is transmitted from the server to the set-top. It will be appreciated that since there can be many different on-demand applications, the overall application is known in the art as an xOD application that includes several different services.
More specifically, the xOD application's content file is a large file that includes sometimes upward to 30 separate on-demand service files for loading and playing on a set-top. The application's content file generally includes configuration information for controlling a system manager located in the set-top and images. Conventionally, during the initial download of the xOD application and its content file, the entire xOD application (i.e., the entire application including all services) is downloaded to the set-top. This requires extensive memory residing in the set-top to store the application and the data. Accordingly, limited information can only be available in the application without adversely affecting performance of the application. Additionally, the download results in a detectable delay from the time the user requests the application and the time the application takes to launch a service on the set-top. There is a need, therefore, for improving the downloading of the xOD application and the content file to the set-top.